Norwich Sharing City

Norwich has been recognised as the UK’s first sharing city and will join the ranks alongside New York, Barcelona, Athens, Dallas and Singapore. 

Norwich City Council and Norwich Business Improvement District (BID) and partners, will be working alongside a leading foundation of the global economy, the Sharing Cities Alliance to create common policies and exchange views on issues generated by the sharing economy.

This will build on the work of Norwich Sharing City, a non-profit campaign, launched in 2017 by Flibl, a local content and communications agency. Their vision was to make Norwich a leading sharing city by 2020. Through the collaborative work of sharing groups across the city, the campaign has continued to grow and with thanks to the backing from (BID) and the city council, Norwich is now the first UK city to join the Sharing Cities Alliance.

What does this mean for Norwich?

Stefan Gurney, Executive Director, Norwich BID said, “Norwich BID are proud to be part of the Sharing Cities Alliance, which sees Norwich as the UK’s first recognised sharing city.  Norwich is once again seen to be leading the way and this global recognition is fantastic.  We look forward to working with a multitude of partners, businesses, groups and individuals within the sharing economy.”

Cllr Alan Waters said, “Another first for our city, becoming a member of this network means we will be working with global colleagues in other Sharing Cities to share best practice on the rise of the sharing economy and its opportunities and challenges, as well as the grassroots sharing movements which directly benefit residents and neighbourhoods.

Jesse Norton, Editorial Director, Flibl said, “When we first started the Norwich Sharing City campaign we firmly believed that our city had the potential to take a leading role in envisioning a more collaborative and sustainable economic future. We have been overwhelmed by the support and enthusiasm we have received from everybody involved in the campaign so far. It is our hope that being recognised as the UK’s leading sharing city will foster even greater innovation in the collaborative economy from the brilliant thinkers we have here in Norwich. We look forward to sharing our insights and expertise with other forward-thinking cities across the UK and the rest of the world.”

Established in 2017 and run by an independent foundation, the Sharing Cities Alliance is a global network relying on city-to-city collaboration, and empowering municipal governments to address the challenges arising from the sharing economy.

Pieter van de Glind, Sharing Cities Alliance said, “The Sharing Cities Alliance is delighted to welcome Norwich as the first UK sharing city, which will benefit from the growing experience of the global network of cities from around the world that are working together to make the most out of the opportunities and challenges of the sharing economy and digital platforms.”

According to the Sharing Cities Alliance, the “sharing of goods and services among citizens and local businesses benefits the local economy, improves social cohesion and boosts sustainability and overall quality of life”.

Ali Clabburn, CEO and founder of Liftshare who support the campaign said, “Norwich is the first UK city to officially become a sharing city and is now on the map alongside other amazing cities like San Francisco, Seoul, Amsterdam and Barcelona. Liftshare are delighted to be based in such a progressive city; a city full of people willing to share, many local businesses and charities involved in the sharing economy, and public bodies who are active in supporting the vision of a more shared future. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.”

Would you like to know more?

To celebrate Norwich becoming the UK’s first sharing city, Norwich BID will be holding a special event.  Taking place on Thursday 28 February 2019 at Blackfrairs Hall, the event will aim to raise awareness of the opportunities already available in Norwich and the potential for growth in the collaborative economy.  Businesses interested in attending should contact Colette Davies, Norwich BID 01603 559572.

A new website about Norwich Sharing City is now available (www.norwichsharingcity.co.uk ) and anyone wishing to receive updates about the sharing economy in Norwich can sign up to receive quarterly news, alternatively follow @SharingCityUK on Twitter or Norwich Sharing City on Facebook.

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Notes:

What is a Sharing City

The collaborative economy (sometimes called the sharing or platform economy) refers to the use of digital technologies to access knowledge, goods, services and money from any kind of people-powered networks. Some well-known examples include Airbnb, Deliveroo, Uber and Facebook’s Marketplace. While these are the platforms that often feature in the news, the sharing movement is bigger and bolder than Silicon Valley. In fact, it’s already active in grassroots communities all over the world, including here in Norwich. Sharing organisations in Norwich include Liftshare,  Norwich Car Club and Refil. By working together, we can solve problems and create new opportunities that benefit everyone.  We believe that cross-border collaboration with other cities can help us use technology for social good, find and exchange solutions to practical everyday problems, and develop a strong local economy that empowers people to share as much or as little as they want to.

About Norwich BID

Established in November 2012 the Norwich Business Improvement District (BID) is run for local businesses by local businesses.  It is a simple and tried and tested way of increasing economic prosperity for companies of all sizes through collaboration.  The BID covers a defined area of Norwich where businesses plan how to improve their trading environment, identifying additional projects and services that develop the city centre and trade.  Investment in the BID area aims to enhance and promote the local environment for businesses, employees, customers.

The overarching vision is to; Make a clear positive impact on the vitality of our city centre and the success of the businesses within it.

Norwich City Council
Norwich City Council is the local authority for the city of Norwich